The situation in the Middle East has already cost Formula 1 a pair of races in the early part of the season, but it could also lead to a former fan-favorite track making a shock return.
A new report from ESPN says that Malaysia’s Sepang Circuit is in the running to make a return if the series can’t schedule a make-up date for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were both scheduled for April, but the ongoing conflict in the Middle East forced F1 to take both off the calendar, causing a month-long gap in the schedule.
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Formula 1 is reportedly looking at backup plans if they are unable to reschedule the Bahrain Grand Prix that was originally scheduled for April. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
While the race in Saudi Arabia on the Jeddah Corniche Street Circuit has been sidelined entirely this season, the hope was that Bahrain could potentially slot into the weekend of Oct. 4.
According to the report, as tensions in the region are flaring up again, F1 would like to race that weekend. That’s because there is now uncertainty around the final two races of the season, which are slated to take place in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Malaysia is one of several circuits reportedly under consideration, and it makes logistical sense. The next race on the schedule after the weekend of Oct. 4 is the following weekend in Singapore.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen speeds past a Malaysian flag during the final Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP via Getty Images)
The notoriously hot, humid and physically demanding circuit was popular with fans and drivers and a fixture on the schedule from 1999 to 2017. Fans would certainly be fired up about seeing it make a surprise appearance.
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Hopefully, there will be a decision soon as the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council is meeting this weekend to talk about racing in the Middle East.
The field races into Turn 1 of the Sepang International Circuit at the start of the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
F1 isn’t the only series impacted by the war. The World Endurance Championship canceled a race in Qatar earlier this year, and there are still questions about whether or not their season finale in Bahrain, slated for early November, can take place.
